MY PROPOSAL AIMS TO ADDRESS COST AND EFFICIENCY ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH SOLAR TECHNOLOGY FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS AS WELL AS ITS POTENTIAL FOR POSITIVE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL ALIGNS WELL WITH NASA S OBJECTIVES OUTLINED IN THE STR TABS FOR SPACE POWER AND ENERGY STORAGE TA03. THREE INDIVIDUAL BUT HIGHLY COMPLEMENTARY RESEARCH PROJECTS ARE PROPOSED THAT WILL CULMINATE IN AN INTEGRATION OF ALL THREE IDEAS INTO TWO DEMONSTRATIVE TRIPLE JUNCTION SOLAR CELLS. FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS HIGH SPECIFIC POWER IS A KEY REQUIREMENT FOR POWER GENERATION. WHILE SOME TYPES OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGY SUCH AS SI SINGLE JUNCTION ORGANIC AND DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELLS ACHIEVE RELATIVELY LOW COST THEY ARE QUITE LIMITED IN EFFICIENCY. MULTIJUNCTION SOLAR TECHNOLOGY CAN ACHIEVE A MUCH LARGER EFFICIENCIES AND SPECIFIC POWER BY STACKING SOLAR CELLS CONSISTING OF DIFFERENT BANDGAP MATERIALS TO COLLECT A BROAD PORTION OF THE SOLAR SPECTRUM. MULTIJUNCTION CELLS ARE TYPICALLY MADE FROM III-V MATERIALS WHICH ARE QUITE EXPENSIVE RELATIVE TO ALTERNATIVES SUCH AS SI AND ORGANICS. TO MAKE THIS TECHNOLOGY MORE COMPETITIVE FOR BOTH SPACE AND TERRESTRIAL APPLICATIONS WE MUST LOWER THE COST PER WATT WHICH CAN BE ACHIEVED EITHER BY REDUCING COST OR IMPROVING EFFICIENCY.